The
legendary RMS Queen Mary
has survived to see the passing of over seven decades, witnessing a
passage of
time and history that has given rise to many turning points in the
history of
mankind. The Queen Mary has had an important part to play in the epic
events of
the 20th century including during the Second World War, but
also in
the transport of millions of passengers during her 1001 voyages across
the North Atlantic.Today
she
survives in Long Beach,
California, USA as one of
the last ambassadors of what has been warmly termed the “Golden Age of
the
Ocean Liner” and as a witness to many epic events of the 20th
century.

Design
and Construction (1930 – 1936):

The
British shipping
industry had always been part of the elite in the world. Since the dawn
of the
modern age British merchant ships - and the warships - have been an
example for
the rest of the world to follow. With the revolutionary 19,000-tonner
Great
Eastern, the British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel had set the
example for
the future ocean liner in 1860. Not only in size, but also in speed the
British
a dominating influence on the North Atlantic.
The White Star Line’s Teutonic and Majestic held the famous Blue Riband
in the
early 1890s and the Cunard Line’s Campania
and Lucania took over the prize until 1897. At that time the Germans
snatched
the Blue Riband and kept it until the arrival of the Lusitania
and Mauretania in 1907. But those
German
liners were not close to the Great Eastern’s size, and not until the Lusitania did
the two
factors - speed and size - come together in one ship. Thereafter did
that
combination never exist, at least not for the next 30 years.

The
post-First World War
period had been a time when the British operated old ships from the
early 1910s.
These ships were either British-built ships like the Olympic and Mauretania, or vessels seized by the British
government
from the defeated Germans - vessels such as Berengaria (ex-Imperator),
Majestic
(ex-Bismarck) and Homeric (ex-Columbus). These were all distinguished
ships but
as the 1920s came to an end, it was evident that the prime ships of the
British
merchant fleet were getting old. The prime ships in the world were now
owned by
the distinguished CGT French Line or the respected Norddeutscher Lloyd.
The
fabled luxury-liner Ile de France had been introduced in 1927, and
immediately
become one of the most popular passenger vessels on the North Atlantic. She had replaced the celebrated
Paris who had
glamorously served the French Line since 1921. The two German
greyhounds Bremen and Europa came in
1929 and 1930, and with their
arrival the grand old Mauretania
finally lost
the Blue Riband. Both the Cunard Line and the White Star Line realised
that
something had to be done in order to save Britain’s lost pride.

The first
of the British
companies to act was the White Star Line. With new enthusiastic
leaders, the
company ordered a vessel measuring 1,010 feet - the longest decided
upon to
date. The ship’s name would be Oceanic. At the same time across the English Channel the French Line gave their order
to build
a ship bigger still at almost 1,030 feet. The Cunard Line also wanted a
part in
the race and started planning a project consisting of building a
1,020-footer
to rival White Star and CGT French Line. All of the three ships would
have a
service speed of around 30 knots.

As time
would show, this was
a bad time for the construction of new ‘superliners’. The White Star
Line had
already severe financial troubles, due to some bad investments, when
they
ordered the Oceanic in 1928. Vessel after vessel in the once great
White Star
fleet went to scrap without planned replacements. The building of the
Oceanic
just made things even worse for the company. In 1929 came the Great
Crash on
Wall Street. This affected the entire world, including the already
staggering
White Star Line. On July 29, 1929, they had to cancel the construction
of the Oceanic.
Almost the entire keel of the ship had been laid, and the steel was
recycled
into a smaller but otherwise similar vessels - the Britannic and
Georgic.

The French
Line managed to
upkeep the work on their vessel because they were granted a massive
loan from
the French Government. This loan was given with the term that the
Government
would be given control of the French Line. The British watched with
enviousness
as the French Line’s brand new Normandie slipped into the LoireRiver
at St. Nazaïre on October 29, 1932. It seemed that the ultra-modern
Normandie
would be the only of the projected three 1,000-footers to be realised.

The
construction of the RMS
Queen Mary represented the zenith of passenger ship building for
Cunard. Plans
began for a new record breaking liner to replace the RMS Mauretania as
early as
1926. It was not until 1930, however, that Cunard announced that a new
1000 ft,
81,000 ton liner was to be built by John Brown & Co Ltd. The keel
of the
ship was laid down on 31 January 1931. The building proceeded well and
the
launch was scheduled for May 1932. On 11 December 1931 the Cunard Board
announced that work on the ship was to be suspended. The world economic
depression had hit the shipbuilding industry and Cunard were forced to
pay all
outstanding bills and lay off the Clydebank
workforce indefinitely.

It was
during 1931 that
Cunard had started negotiations to buy out its main rival, the White
Star Line.
Although these early attempts failed Cunard entered negotiations with
the
Government in 1933. In December 1933 an agreement was reached whereby
the two
companies would merge to form Cunard White Star Ltd and the Government
would
lend the company £9.5 million. The majority of this sum was to be used
to
complete the RMS Queen Mary and build a sister ship. In April 1934 work
began
again on the ship. The work was completed by August and the ship was
ready to
be launched.

However
what was the ship to
be called? After many suggestions the name Queen Victoria had been decided upon. The
name
referred to the successful British queen of the 19th
century, and
this needed a royal request - a required formality. Sir Percy Bates and
Sir
Ashley Sparks, two men of the Cunard management, were selected to
inform HM King
George V of the decision. Sir Ashley put it this way: ‘Your Majesty, we
are
pleased to inform you that Cunard wishes your approval to name our
newest and
greatest liner after England’s
greatest queen’. The king misunderstood the request - deliberately or
not - and
replied: ‘My wife will be delighted’. Cunard could do nothing; you do
not
correct the King in such a delicate matter. So the ship became the
Queen Mary. This
anecdote has been wildly criticised ever since Frank Braynard published
it 1947
in his first book ‘Lives of the Liners’. However he was finally proven
right in
1988 when he attended the same dinner party as Eleanor Sparkes,
daughter of Sir
Ashley Sparkes. She opened the conversation with her table neighbour
Braynard
by telling her ‘favourite ship story’. She told the exact same anecdote
that
Braynard had published in his book. Ever since the story has been more
respected and is now acknowledged as fact.

Finally on
26 September 1934
the ship was launched by HM Queen Mary, accompanied by HM King George
V. The
event was witnessed by huge crowds of locals and the thousands of
workers and
designers that had worked on the Queen Mary.

"I
thank you for your loyal address of welcome to us. As a sailor, I have
deep pleasure in coming here today to watch the launch by the Queen of
this great and beautiful ship. Today we come to the heavy task of
sending on her way the stateliest ship now in being. I thank all those
here and elsewhere whose efforts, however conspicious or humble, have
helped to build her. We send her to her element with the goodwill of
all the nation as a mark of our hope in the future. She is being built
in fellowship among ourselves. May her life among great waters spread
friendship among the nations."

Address
of Welcome by His Majesty King George V at the Launch Ceremony, 26th
September 1934.

Following
this address by the King, HM Queen Mary swung a
bottle of
Australian wine against the bow, and uttered the immortal words “I name
this
ship the Queen Mary” and the ship started its motion towards the River
Clyde.
The Queen Mary was a very long ship; the longest constructed in Britain
to that
date. The river had had to be further dredged to receive the 1,018-feet
hull
and special drag chains had to be used in the launch to reduce the
speed of the
ship so that it didn’t hit the other side of the river.

"I am
happy to name this ship the Queen Mary, I wish good luck to her and all
who
sail in
her."

Words
of Her Majesty Queen Mary at the
Launch Ceremony, 26th September 1934.

Then it
was taken to its
fitting out berth for fitting out of the interiors and final finishing.
During
the fitting out, the design of the ship became more and more apparent
to the
world. Supposed to be a rival to the French Normandie, the Queen Mary
could not
compete in modernity and sleekness. She represented the British
conservatism,
and one could say that she was a larger replica of the 1914-built Aquitania. But in size the Queen Mary seemed to
overshadow the Normandie. At 81,000 tons, the Queen exceeded the 79,280
French
gross tons. But just as the British would claim to have the largest
ship in the
world, the French Line announced that the Normandie would be enlarged
to over
83,000 tons before the Queen Mary’s maiden voyage. Thus the rivalry
between the
Queen Mary and Normandie started right from the conception of both
these great
ships. However the Queen Mary was certainly Britain's art deco
masterpiece and one of the greatest ships ever built in Britain.

The work
on the Queen Mary
was completed in March 1936 and the ship undertook her sea trials.
Eventually
the time came for the Queen Mary to leave the River Clyde and she set
sail on
the 24th March 1936, by which time the Normandie had already
sailed
on the transatlantic route for almost a year. After a brief grounding
in the
narrow river, the Queen Mary headed for Southampton
for painting in the King George V dry dock. Finally the ship was handed
over to
Cunard Line on the 11th May 1936. Then the ship was honoured
with a
visit from the Royal Family. HM Queen Mary toured the Queen Mary with
interest,
and in spite of her conservative mind, she seemed to have enjoyed the
tour.
That evening she wrote in her diary: ‘Toured the new Queen Mary today.
Not as
bad as I expected’.

The Queen
Mary was a modern
ship, but not ultra-modern as the Normandie. If the Normandie had
entered
service after the Queen Mary, the Queen would possibly have been talked
about
as the most beautiful liner ever built - inside and out. But now it was
the
contrary. Every critic compared the ship with the Normandie. The
British
combination of traditionalism and modernity was considered too sterile
by the
some critics of the 1930s. But whatever said, the Queen Mary was
a beautiful ship - inside and out. Her interiors had over fifty
different
woods, collected from all over the British Empire.
Inside the Queen Mary’s staterooms, you could easily make out that you
were on
a ship. Previous liners had disguised their interiors to palaces and
manor
houses, but the Queen was not afraid of looking like a ship. Her first
class
restaurant was notable for the giant map of the Atlantic
which was displayed. It showed the exact position of the Queen Mary
during a
transatlantic voyage. When Queen Elizabeth entered service after the
war, you
could see the position of the sister ships as well, and thereby knowing
when
they would meet on the Atlantic. The
first
class accommodations were vast with plenty of elbow room, all with a
light
touch of Art Deco, the new type of art introduced by the Ile de France
in 1927.
One beloved feature was the small and exclusive Verandah Grill, just
below the
main mast.The passenger
accommodation
emphasised the first two classes, cabin and tourist. The propulsion
machinery
of the ship produced a massive 160,000 SHP and gave it a speed of over
30
knots.

The
Prewar Cunard Line Era (1936 – 1939):

It made an inaugural cruise
from Southampton on 14 May and then made its maiden voyage, on the
Southampton-Cherbourg-New York route,
on 27 May. Despite expectations that the
ship would try to break speed records on its first voyage a thick fog
destroyed
any hope of this. However the teething problems of the Queen Mary had
to be
remedied. At a thirty knot speed, she vibrated violently at the stern,
and in
bad weather she developed a nasty cork-screw motion. A third problem
was that
the funnels allowed smoke to cover some of the after promenade decks.
The lower
interiors of the ship were stiffened and the propellers redesigned.
This
reduced the vibration considerably, but the cork-screw motion could not
be
bettered - not yet at least. Smoke-washing devices were installed in
the
funnels, which erased the problem of soot in the passengers’ throats.
As a
result the RMS Queen Mary spent a short time in dry dock during July
whilst
adjustments were made to the propellers and turbines. When the ship
returned to
service, on the 31st August, she departed Southampton bound
for New York
and made a
record voyage of three days, 23 hours and 57 minutes from Bishop's Rock
to
Ambrose light and took the Blue Riband from the Normandie. This was
also the
first time the crossing over the Atlantic
had
been made in fewer than four days.

The ship went into dry dock
in December and alterations were made to the bulkheads. The next year
on March
19, the Normandie regained the title of being the fastest ship with an
average
crossing speed of 31.65 knots. By May 1937 the RMS Queen Mary had
completed one
year's service and had carried a total of 56,895 passengers. In August
1938,
the Queen Mary retook the Blue Riband with a crossing time of three
days, 20
hours and 40 minutes, thus regaining the Blue Riband from the
Normandie. That
year Queen Mary had set new records for both the eastbound and
westbound
crossings. The distinguished honour would remain in British hands for
nearly
fifteen years until the United States took the
honour in 1952. The Queen
Mary had proved to be the faster ship. Even though the Normandie’s hull
was far
more streamlined, the Queen Mary had much more powerful and efficient
engines.

It was not only in speed
that the Queen Mary outmatched the French ship. For some reason the
passengers
favoured the British ship. The Normandie seldom travelled at full
capacity,
whilst the passengers flocked the Queen Mary - the rich and the poor.
The
conservative British aristocracy chose her before the French liner -
unsurprisingly, but also businessmen and ordinary tourists. They
thought that
the Queen Mary was more welcoming and less pretentious than the
Normandie. The Normandie’s
movie-star glitter and extravagance made people feel as they were
‘living in a
cathedral’.

Throughout
the 1930s, the Queen
Mary carried the largest loads of passengers. But the war clouds once
again
began to loom over Europe. The Queen
Mary made
its last commercial voyage from Southampton on 30 August 1939 and then
remained
berthed at New York
until the end of the year whilst it was decided what role the ship
would play
in the war.

The
Grey Ghost: Queen Mary goes to War (1939 – 1947):

After
arriving in New York the Queen Mary
lay berthed at Pier 90 in New
York harbour
together with the Normandie until 1940. On 7 March 1940 the newly
completed RMS
Queen Elizabeth arrived to join the RMS Queen Mary, RMS Mauretania and
S/S
Normandie at New York.
For two weeks, the world’s three largest liners were berthed side by
side. The Normandie
remained in her peacetime colours, but the Queen Mary was repainted
grey at her
pier. On 21 March the RMS Queen Mary left New York
under orders to sail for Cape Town and Sydney. Soon
afterwards
the Queen Elizabeth left as well, leaving the Normandie all alone in New York. As
later
events would show the rivalry between the Queen Mary and Normandie
would soon
end after the destruction of the Normandie during conversion to a
troopship.

On arrival
in Sydney
work began
converting the Queen Mary into a troopship. The luxury furnishings were
removed
and tiers of bunks and hammocks were fitted. Although small calibre
guns were
fitted on the ship its main protection was to be its speed. On 4 May
the ship
left for the Clyde with 5,000 troops
of the
Australian Imperial Force on board. It arrived there on 16 June and
then sailed
for Singapore
carrying
troops to bolster the defence in view of Japan's increasing threat.
After an
overhaul there it returned to Sydney
and then
made trooping voyages between there and India for the rest of the
year.

The ship
was drydocked again
in February 1941 and then sailed between Australian ports and Singapore and Suez until November. As the Indian
Ocean was
becoming increasingly dangerous, with war looking imminent in the Far
East and
Pacific, the RMS Queen Mary sailed to Boston.
Here its trooping capacity was increased to 8,500 and it was fitted
with
heavier calibre guns and anti-aircraft cannons. The RMS Queen Mary’s
future
role was to be on the North Atlantic, however one urgent trip carrying
US
troops to Sydney
was the priority. By late July 1942 it had returned to New York. In
the following months it sailed to
the Clyde and Suez and then returned to
the USA
with a
complement of German POW's. On 2 August 1942 it began making fast
eastbound
voyages carrying between 10,000-15,000 US troops at a time. On one
of
these voyages the ship had the worst collision of its career.

When it
was approaching the Clyde the RMS
Queen Mary required an anti-aircraft
escort, amongst these was the cruiser HMS
Curacoa. On 2 October the escort ships were sighted. The Queen
Mary was
steaming at 28 knots in zig-zag pattern whilst the Curacoa,
whose best speed was 26 knots, kept as close as
possible. The Queen Mary overtook its escort and then the zig-zag
pattern of
the two ships converged and it collided with the Curacoa close to its
stern and
sliced straight through the ship. Out of 430 crew members on the
cruiser only
101 survived. Although there was damage beneath the waterline the Queen
Mary
was able to continue. With over 11,000 troops on board the Queen Mary
could not
stop to assist and it sailed straight to the Clyde.
A long legal battle between the Admiralty and Cunard eventually laid
the blame
equally on both vessels.

From
October to December
1942 it was being repaired at Boston
and then
returned to the Clyde. On 23 December
it left
for Cape Town, Suez
and Sydney carrying British troops to
the Middle East and Australian troops
back home. It returned
in April 1943 and then berthed in New York in May. After this it began
a ferry service for
US troops which was to be its role for the remainder of the war. The
Queen
Mary’s role in this capacity is the one for which it is best
remembered. On one
crossing in 1943 the Queen Mary set the present record of people on
board a
ship - 16,683 souls. That crossing she averaged nearly 29 knots, but
had
lifeboat accommodation for merely 8,000 people.The end of
the war in Europe in May 1945 meant that there was an urgent need to
redeploy
thousands of US
combat
troops to the conflict in the Pacific and Far East.
The Queen Mary sailed to New
York
to be refitted and then began the long process of repatriation. In
January 1946
it began transporting GI brides to their new homes. By 3 May it
transferred to Halifax
to repatriate the
wives and children of Canadian servicemen, which continued until
September. Indeed
the wartime role of the two Cunard Queens was so important that Sir
Winston
Churchill credited the two ships as having shortened the war by two
years.

The
Postwar Cunard Line Era (1947 – 1967):

On 27
September the RMS
Queen Mary was handed back to Cunard. During its war service it had
travelled
over 600,000 miles and carried nearly 800,000 people. A ten month refit
was
then embarked upon at Southampton.
Besides
being refurnished for the commercial service a new stem and
air-conditioning
were fitted. The passenger accommodation was also altered to house 711
1st
class, 707 cabin class and 577 tourist class passengers. It made its
first
sailing after this on 31 July 1947, from Southampton to New York.
Before the end of 1947, however,
industrial troubles started to affect the service. Air travel was
becoming
increasingly popular and once the ship had ran aground at Cherbourg
on 1 January 1949 many of the passengers chose to fly to the USA
instead.
Although the ship was still capable of making fast crossings it was
unable to
compete with the new American liner United States, and in July
1952 the
American ship took the Blue Riband with an average speed of 35.59
knots. The United
States
had engines designed for aircraft carriers, developing 240,000 horse
power.
With that power she regularly could cruise across the North Atlantic with an average speed of over 35
knots. There was no way
that the Queen Mary could regain the Blue Riband. However she still
remained
popular with passengers as did her sister the Queen Elizabeth.

In March
1958 the ship was
fitted with stabilisers by Denny-Brown. By the beginning of the next
decade
there was already speculation about the ship's future. In December 1963
it made
its first cruise, to the Canaries. By 1965 this had become a larger
part of the
ship's role. A seamen's strike in May 1966 cost Cunard £4 million and
spelt the
end for the Queen Mary. In 1967 Cobh was added to the ship's
Southampton-New York
route but by
now it was losing thousands of pounds a day. It made its last
transatlantic
crossing on 16 September 1967. There was considerable speculation
regarding
what the future use of the ship would be but this ended in July when
Cunard
agreed to sell the liner to the town of Long Beach for £1,230,000. Britain
and British interests, including Southampton, did bid for the ship but
sadly this was unsuccessful and she was sold to Long Beach.

Disappointing
though this was for Britain and British supporters of the Queen Mary,
Cunard Line have to agree to the deal that is best for their business.
Thus seeing it from their perspective the sale of the Queen Mary to
Long Beach in California, USA probably was inevitable. America had huge
amounts of money, an available berth, resources and facilities to
acquire the ship and look after her. While Britain and the British
interests, despite their love for the ship, did not. This deal also
gave Cunard Line a permanent
advert in the United States and so from a business perspective surely
helped them to retain and grow their American market. Also America has
a
strong fondness of all things British so maybe they wanted
a bit of Britain for themselves in the form of the Queen Mary. Finally
there
is the obvious, the USA is immensely wealthy and could afford to
purchase the ship when she was retired from service and then pay
to keep her maintained as a floating hotel and tourist attraction.
Disappointing I know for British fans of this British maritime
icon but sadly it was inevitable, money talks and that is how
business works.

Preservation
in Long Beach, California, USA
(1967 – Present):

The Queen
Mary’s journey to Long Beach
was turned
into a cruise to recoup some of the costs of the voyage. It left on 31
October
and called at Lisbon, Las Palmas, Rio de Janiero, Valparaiso, Callao,
Balboa,
Acapulco and finally at Long Beach. It arrived at Long Beach on 9 December to begin its
new
role as a museum, hotel and conference centre. 6th April to
18th
May 1968 the ship undergoes her conversion for her new role at the Long
Beach
Naval Dockyard. On the 27th February 1971 the Queen Mary
moves to
Pier J in Long Beach
– her new permanent home. On the 8th May 1971 the Queen Mary
Story
and Power Train Tour, and Upper Decks opened on board the ship,
weekends only. On
the 11th December 1971 Jacques Cousteau's "Living Sea"
portion of Museum of the Sea (M.O.T.S.) open on board the Queen Mary.
Eventually
on the 2nd November 1972 the first 150 rooms in the hotel
are
opened. Since her preservation the ship has been a popular filming
location. In
the early 1970s she appeared in the film “The Poseidon Adventure”. On
the 29th
February 1974 Hyatt Corporation takes over operation of Hotel Queen
Mary. On
the 1st October 1976 Queen Mary Tours Inc take over operation of the
Museum
of the Sea. In 1979 she starred as Titanic in the film “SOS Titanic”.

On the 1st
September 1980 Wrather Port Properties Ltd (subsidiary of Wrather
Corporation)
sign the lease to manage the Queen Mary and surrounding property. 14th
May 1983 the Howard Hughes Spruce Goose flying boat is moved into a
special
dome alongside the Queen Mary and opens to the public as a tourist
attraction.
29th March 1988 Walt Disney Company buys Wrather Corporation
for
$152 million. The agreement includes the Disneyland Hotel, and
management of
The Queen Mary and Spruce Goose property. In the Spring of 1992 the
Aero Club
of Southern California announces sale of Spruce Goose to Evergreen
International Aviation Inc. in McMinnville,
Oregon and on the 2nd
October 1992 the Spruce
Goose is removed from The Dome and put on barges headed to McMinnville, Oregon,
having been sold to Evergreen International Aviation Inc. On the 30th
September 1992 Walt Disney Company gives up lease on Queen Mary and
Spruce
Goose property. For the remainder of 1992, The Port of Long Beach
becomes
operator of property, and looks for new operator but the Queen Mary
closes on
the 31st December 1992. The following day the City of Long Beach resumes responsibility for the Queen
Mary from
the Port
of Long Beach.

On the 5th
February 1993 Joseph F. Prevratil, President & CEO of RMS
Foundation, Inc.
signs five-year lease with the city of Long Beach to act as operators of The
Queen Mary. On the 26th
February 1993 the Queen Mary reopens to the public and self-guided and
guided
"Captain's Tour" resume and most restaurants and Sunday Brunch are
back. On the 5th March 1993 Hotel Queen Mary reopens with
125 rooms
operational and banquet rooms are operational. 17th April
1993 Audio
Tours reopen. 30th April 1993 the remainder of Hotel Queen
Mary's
365 rooms reopen. On the 12th May 1993 the sad news reaches
the Queen
Mary that her last Captain, Captain John Treasure Jones, the 33rd and
last
captain of The Queen Mary had died at the age of 87 at his home in Chandler's Ford, near Southampton.
23rd June to 4th July 1993 Grand Opening
ceremonies
announcing Queen Mary Seaport, the new property-wide name given to the
55 acres
adjoining the historic Queen Mary take place. Queen Mary Seaport
includes The
Queen Mary Attraction and The Hotel Queen Mary aboard the ship; The
Dome at the
Queen Mary, formerly home to Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose; The Queen's
Marketplace, formerly London Town Village, and the surrounding
property.

On the 26th
September 1994 Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of
the
Launch and Naming of the great liner is held. Officiating are RMS
Foundation
President Joseph F. Prevratil; HRH Prince Michael of Kent
representing the British Royal Family, grandson of Her Majesty Queen
Mary; Scotland's
Clydebank District Provost Jack McAllister and other special guests.
During the
summer of 1995 more celebrations take place on the Queen Mary
commemorating the
50th Anniversary of the end of World War II and paying tribute to the
Queen
Mary's service as a troopship nicknamed "The Grey Ghost." 8th
May 1996 the Queen Mary celebrates 25 years preservation in Long Beach. 27th
May 1996
celebrations occur marking the 60th Anniversary of the
maiden voyage
of the Queen Mary from Southampton to New York back in 1936. 9th
December 1997 the
Queen Mary celebrates another milestone after reaching 30 years in Long Beach.

The Queen
Mary still remains
there today as a testament to the supreme achievement of the Atlantic
ferry. However in recent years since 2000 there have been financial
concerns
about the attraction and disputes between Joseph Prevratil’s the RMS
Foundation
Inc. & Queen’s Seaport Development Inc. (who have leased and
managed the
ship and surrounding property since 1995) and the City of Long Beach and in
March 2005 the Queen’s Seaport Development
Inc. announced its
bankruptcy. So the ship’s preservation in Long Beach has not been without its
ups and downs but we
hope that she can make it through this latest difficulty and continue
to
survive.

On
the 23rd February 2006 a unique event will take place when the new RMS
Queen Mary 2 meets the original Queen Mary for the first time in Long
Beach at the end of her "South America Odyssey" cruise. Thus the two
Queen Mary's will finally meet for the first time linking Cunard's
present with its history. As the Queen Mary 2 sails past she will sound
a special salutation on her whistles, which will take on an extra
special meaning as one of them is an original from her namesake - the
original Queen Mary!

23rd
February 2006: The Meeting of the Queen Marys: The Royal Rendezvous
(Long Beach, California, USA)

On
the 27th May 2006 the Queen Mary celebrates the 70th anniversary of her
maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. She departed Southampton on
the 27th May 1936 and arrived in New York on the 1st June 1936. To
celebrate the occasion a special lecture weekend is held on board the
ship in Long Beach organised by the Steamship Historical Society of
America.

Happily
the Queen Mary still uses her whistle on a regular basis. As the ship
no longer has steam generating capabilities now, compressed air is used
instead. Today the whistle is sounded daily at 10am, 12 noon, 3pm and
6pm. The original three note system is now just two notes using the
forward funnel's two main whistles. The other, 3rd note, whistle that
used to be on the centre funnel, spent many years in the Queen Mary's
museum after she was preserved in Long Beach. But a few years ago, it
was removed from the museum and sent to France on board the QE2 for
installation on the new Queen Mary 2. The whistle now is on permanent
loan to Cunard Line. Therefore the QM2's starboard whistle is the
original Queen Mary whistle. The QM2 in fact injects a mist into the
whistle blast to simulate steam! A replica of the whistle was then made
for the QM2's other whistle.

On
the 7th November 2007 to replace the bankrupt RMS Foundation Inc. and
Queen's Seaport Development Inc. (that previously managed the ship and
surrounding property since 1995), the City of Long Beach announced that
they had entrusted the lease of the ship and its surrounding property
to the Save the Queen investor consortium based in Long Beach. In turn
they announced that the management of the Queen Mary and surrounding
property had been entrusted to the Hostmark Hospitality Group.

It was stated
that their first objective is to provide stability to the 550 employees
of The Queen Mary and to facilitate the restoration of The Queen Mary
as a world destination for the community of Long Beach. Their second
objective is to facilitate the capital projects to be completed
over the next eighteen months to address neglected areas of the ship
that impact the guest experience or modern necessities that the staff
needs to perform their roles. Improvements to The Queen Mary will
include new systems for the entire
operation including parking. The re-design and enhancement of guest
impact areas will revitalize public space, arrival platforms, corridors
and most importantly, guest rooms. Additional improvements to
back-of-the-ship systems and mechanics will also assist in returning
The Queen to its proper position and status. In 2007 the Queen Mary
celebrated the 40th anniversary of her arrival in Long Beach. As a
result the new management announced that their role in the history of
this phenomenal vessel is to preserve its
grandeur and identity while improving the guest experience and
profitability. Their vision is to continue to develop The Queen Mary
and deliver the
experience that is historically synonymous with The Queen Mary as an
iconic fixture in Southern California tourism, as well as to continue
to build strong relationships with the community of Long Beach and the
valuable employees of the ship. It was also mentioned that the new
management had been approached by the National Football League to
discuss the possibility of incorporating a major American football
stadium as part of the regeneration of the 45 acres of prime waterfront
land adjoining the Queen Mary. So it is likely that plans will be
developed in due course for the regeneration of the waterfront land
around the Queen Mary. Now thankfully the future looks much more secure
for this venerable ocean queen.

So we wish the
Queen Mary a long, prosperous and secure future with the new management
(consisting of the Save the Queen investor consortium based in Long
Beach and Hostmark Hospitality Group) that is now in place. We hope
this will at last safeguard the long term future of the Queen Mary as a
historic ship, recapture her former glory and return her to the status
she deserves.